Columbia Elevator - Elevator History

In The Beginning...

Rudimentary elevators, or hoists, were in use during the Middle Ages and can be traced back to the third century BC. They were operated by animal and human power or by water-driven mechanisms. The elevator as we know it today was first developed during the 1800s and relied on steam or hydraulic plungers for lifting capability. In the latter application, the cab was affixed to a hollow plunger that lowered into an underground cylinder. Liquid, most commonly water, was injected into the cylinder to create pressure and make the plunger elevate the cab, which would simply lower by gravity as the water was removed.

Valves governing the water flow were manipulated by passengers using ropes running through the cab, a system later enhanced with the incorporation of lever controls and pilot valves to regulate cab speed. The "granddaddy" of today's traction elevators first appeared during the 19th century in the U.K., a "lift" using a rope running through a pulley and a counterweight tracking along the shaft wall.

Give Us the Power...

The power elevator debuted mid-19th century in the U.S. as a simple freight hoist operating between just two floors in a New York City building. By 1853, Elisha Graves Otis was at the New York Crystal Palace exposition, demonstrating an elevator with a "safety" to break the cab's fall in case of rope failure, a defining moment in elevator development.

By 1857, the country's first Otis passenger elevator was in operation at a New York City department store, and, ten years later, Elisha's sons went on to found Otis Brothers and Company in Yonkers, NY, eventually to achieve mass production of elevators in the thousands. Various other elevator designs appeared on the landscape, including screw-driven and rope-geared, hydraulic models.

An Electric Moment...

Later in the 1800s, with the advent of electricity, the electric motor was integrated into elevator technology by German inventor Werner von Siemens. With the motor mounted at the bottom of the cab, this design employed a gearing scheme to climb shaft walls fitted with racks. In 1887, an electric elevator was developed in Baltimore, using a revolving drum to wind the hoisting rope, but these drums could not practically be made large enough to store the long hoisting ropes that would be required by skyscrapers.

Motor technology and control methods evolved rapidly. In 1889 came the direct-connected geared electric elevator, allowing for the building of significantly taller structures. By 1903, this design had evolved into the gearless traction electric elevator, allowing hundred-plus story buildings to become possible and forever changing the urban landscape. Multi-speed motors replaced the original single-speed models to help with landing-leveling and smoother overall operation. Electromagnet technology replaced manual rope-driven switching and braking. Push-button controls and various complex signal systems modernized the elevator even further. Safety improvements have been continual, including a notable development by Charles Otis, son of original "safety" inventor Elisha, that engaged the "safety" at any excessive speed, even if the hoisting rope remained intact.

As Good As It Gets...

Today, there are intricate governors and switching schemes to carefully control cab speeds in any situation. "Buttons" have been giving way to keypads. Virtually all commercial elevators operate automatically and the computer age has brought the microchip-based capability to operate vast banks of elevators with precise scheduling, maximized efficiency and extreme safety. Elevators have become a medium of architectural expression as compelling as the buildings in which they're installed, and new technologies and designs regularly allow the human spirit to soar!